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Originally Posted by JoshGirls Josh
yes. the judge asked zimmerman directly if he wished to testify, & confirmed it was his decision not to & his alone. He declined. it was broadcast on live TV today.
a prosecutor cannot pick you apart if you are innocent. the defense can rebut any damaging testimony. credibility. thats all im talking about.
if Zim ends up convicted, i guarantee it was because he lacked credibility. so if he was innocent, he could do 10+ years because he didnt take the stand.
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The judge always asks them if it's their decision. They always say "yes".
I JUST watched Mark Geragos 20 minutes ago on Anderson Cooper on CNN. He was explaining that they NEVER let a defendant on the stand. Never.
He said he had one defendant who insisted on it. He said he went into the judges chambers and explained that this was against everything he was telling his client...because everyone knows you NEVER let the defendant on the stand.
Geragos explained that no civilian has the skill set to contend with a prosecuting attorney on the stand.
Anyway, his client took the stand. And was convicted! The jury members were interviewed afterwards and said that they would have never convicted him...UNTIL he took the stand and the prosecuting attorney tore him to shreds and made him look bad.
Geragos said his work in the courtroom of that trial was like this: "I painted a Picasso, and then my client took the stand and pissed all over it"
Dude...you NEVER take the stand as a defendant. Unless you want to go to jail.